Rainfall
by Dhizzandra
Summary: “I said move!” A gloved hand reached out, shoving aside the still form of the blonde man. He stumbled, and eventually tumbled over himself, ending up looking much like some sick creation of a yoga god. [Gaara X OC.]
1. The Storm Begins

Disclaimer: I wish I owned the NarutoVerse…Because Gaara would be mine, and I'd hug him, and call him my squishy, and he will be my squishy… 

Gaara: -Dull stare. Kind've half glares at.- You…should seek help.  
Dhizz: -Prances about, latches to Gaara, purr.- You could be my help? –Snicker.-  
Gaara: ….-Attempts to pry off….fails. Face fault. - ..;

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"I said move!" A gloved hand reached out, shoving aside the still form of the blonde man. He stumbled, and eventually tumbled over himself, ending up looking much like some sick creation of a yoga god.

His legs had folded over his back, feet dropping down by his head, his arms outstretched across the leafy ground, and his face buried into it as well. A light groan, followed by a whine came from his muffled voice.

"Neeeee, Rin-chan, that wasn't very nice." Untangling himself, Tsume drew to a stand, brushing the dirt from his favorite red hoodie and dark colored pants. The whining only earned him an eye roll as the lithe, gloved hand reached down once more and jerked him up from the ground.

"Shutup, loudmouth. You want to get caught out here?" A pout found the boy's visage, his feet shuffling like a child who had just been scorned.

The trees rose in front of them, surrounding the two as they had been all day, it was difficult to see more than a hundred feet in front of a hand, but then again, the Forest of Death…dun dun dun…had always been like that. Though, Rin didn't much mind…the female preferred working in such an area, ironically. But not when working against the type of people they were. The Chuunin exams had once more come to Konohagakure, and this time, it was Rin's turn to shine in the exams.

Though, she'd already thoroughly impressed the teachers by the amount of correct answers on the pre-test…poor Tsume had just gotten enough right to pass. He never was the brightest crayon in the box, but he was decently intelligent…and annoying. A slight eye tic came from Rin as Tsume tried to bounce off after a butterfly. A hand snapped out, grasping ahold of his hoodie with a gentle huff. "Stop it, you retard. We still have to get to the compound place…"

A grunt, and then a thud…apparently Tsume had given up fighting, a smirk fell against Rin's visage, unseen by the mask that covered it. The two had gotten the scrolls very early into the test, but the problem had been the other teams..they were far more advanced that they should have been, and it rose some alarm.

Rin shifted, her hawk like hues darted about, before returning to her partner. Tsume was such a pretty boy…Though, not really. He never seemed to want to wash his clothes, or bathe…but he still managed to be pretty. Rin kind've envied him for it…and yet not, because at the same time, it was disgusting. His blonde hair was messy, but otherwise unscathed…and it fell about his face like a halo, accenting the high cheekbones and supple flesh of his facial features. The contrast against his olive skin and blonde hair made his crystalline optics stand out against everything else. His figure was thin, but nothing more than any other guy at 13, but he was tall, long legged and long armed…He stood a decent head above Rin most of the time, but he slouched, so it was hard to tell.

As for Rin…her body normally remained covered unless in the comfort of her home, and sometimes even then due to Tsume's remarks. Her own blonde hair cascaded from a ponytail down to her ankles, and eyes to match. High cheekbones and a slender appearance gave way to her facial features, but they were covered by a mask nine tenths of the time. Her figure was slender…with the beginnings of a woman's body trapped within a black jumpsuit with accents of white pouches and gloves. Her sandals were the traditional blue, and made little noise as she shifted upon the twig and leaf littered ground.

"C'mon…let's go." A sound of protest came Tsume, but he rose to his feet and followed after the blonde as she moved forward through the thick forage.

Three years later found Rin standing against the memorial stone in Konoha village, the largest hidden village in all of Japan, her hand rose, bare fingertips gently brushing against the stone, tracing a name.

"You know…It's not healthy to dwell." The ever familiar voice of that familiar annoyance, Tsume.

Though three years had passed, he hadn't changed. His hair was still an unkempt mess, and his figure was still tall and lanky…almost too large for him, it seemed. And he still wore that god damned red hoodie in which she despised so much.

Her teeth ground together, and she chose not to respond momentarily, her hand falling from the stone as the glove was placed once more upon it.

"And maybe it would do you some good to dwell. You can't just act like they never existed, Tsume." They both knew that, but Tsume was a guy…and a ninja, neither of which were supposed to show any emotion. Despite that, the two man cell had always worked together…alone and by themselves, living together had increased their teamwork efforts, but the loss of their teacher and several friends had left Rin in a rift. She knew it was wrong to dwell on something that she couldn't change, and while normally she would remain neutral, or stoic…Their teacher and friends were the only family she'd ever had.

At least, as far as she could remember. She'd wandered into Konoha at the age of four, a strand of beads wrapped around her little body, that strand of beads remained, but it was much larger now, wrapping around her body quite a few times. Her technique was unknown to almost all of the hidden villages that she'd visited, and no books had mentioned the use of the beads before, but Rin knew how to use them…had known before she could walk.

A gentle sigh fell against her ear, and Tsume wrapped his arms around her neck, leaning inwards to rest his cheek against hers, breaking her train of thought.  
"I don't pretend they didn't exist, Rin-chan…But I do not think that it is best to dwell on things you can't change. They're gone, and you need to move on. That's the way the life of a ninja is, your friends and family die, whether or not you can protect them isn't up to you." But he was wrong, it was up to her…Well, sort've. If the Hokage hadn't sent her on another mission, she would have been able to protect them. Sixteen and a jounin…Yeah, she could have protected them.

So could have Tsume, but he too, had been on another mission. Life just didn't seem fair, sometimes. Though their connection had been strong in the beginning due to both being orphans, they could relate…it had only grown stronger after dealing with the loss of so many great allies and friends. To most, their relationship could be said to be more than just friends, or close friends, but that was wrong. If anything, they shared a companionship; they were soul-mates destined to be with one another, but not be in love with one another. It was like tying two souls into one body, but one of those bodies had another entity sharing it. 

And that other entity wasn't very fond of sharing. Of course, there weren't many demons that did enjoy sharing their host…hell, most didn't even enjoy having a host. However, Tsume was stuck with the two tailed panther: Kurohyou. Rin liked to call him Kuro-kitty just to piss him off…it worked, and often got Tsume and Rin into many play type fights, but she always won.

A huff erupted from her throat, the puff of breath blocked by the black mask that covered her facial features from view.

"Yes it is, you just say that to make it sound better that we didn't. You make it sound as though we had no choice. We could have turned down those missions."

"And we would have died with them, Rin-chan…" It was soft spoken, nearly a whisper against her ear, and an involuntary shudder rippled through her form. Her outfit didn't protect well from any possible winds that might attack, or any other weather for that moment, but neither were expected, even at that, his attack of gentle air wouldn't have done credit to the protection from her outfit anyway. The black mesh was covered by a top that fell just above her belly button, and her skirt fell just at the thighs to allow for more flexibility. One was white, the other, red. Beads adorned her body, wrapping around the hilt of the katana at her side, pouches littering the rest of her body in various areas. Ankle, thigh, hip, she wasn't particular as to where they went, as long as she had them.

Shifting, Rin pulled herself from Tsume's grasp, wriggling to make him let go before finally gaining freedom. Perhaps she was just being stubborn, but maybe not…It was ever known what Fate had in store for them, for anyone for that matter. Life was a mystery, Fate was a mystery, and Rin wasn't so sure she enjoyed trying to figure out this mystery anymore.

"Iunno, Tsume…I think you're wrong." Leaving it at that, Rin turned and started her way back towards the village, leaving Tsume there with his thoughts. And that's when the rain came…

"Suzume Rin, I have a request of you." The woman behind the desk shifted, lifting a bottle to her lips, savoring the liquid that came from it, before choosing to continue. "I have, a B ranked mission here…But the person who has given us this mission, has specifically requested your help." Another pregnant pause, the air was thick…thick enough that Rin thought she would drown if not careful. "It's …fishy, but I think that you should go. Of course…the option is always yours."

A gentle frown flitted over Rin's visage, though it remained unseen. "My help?" It was odd…very odd, not many knew of Rin. She'd made sure to keep her name out of most villages that she'd been to, going under an alias, if giving any name at all. So…how would anyone know her name, or better yet, to specifically ask for her help? Brushing aside these thoughts, a simple, curt nod was given to Tsunade.

"I accept."

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((Author notes!))  
H-okay, I'm going to assume that most of you know what the Japanese words mean, if you don't, feel free to send me a message and ask.  
I also know that a lot of you are probably going "Two tailed panther!?Nowai!" But, the character Tsume actually belongs to a friend of mine, and the two tailed panther was his creation and his addition to Tsume's character. I chose to leave that part of Tsume in, I felt that it gave the character something extra. If this is a problem for you, you can choose not read.

As for the story, I really don't have anything special planned, I'm just writing as I go, so if some things seem a little off at times, that's probably why. I don't expect to finish this story, but maybe I'll surprise myself, and you, and actually finish it. Who knows.


	2. Thunder anyone?

Hm. So we made it to the second chapter. Wute. Be afraid! –Wiggles wand of doom about.-

Gaara: -Peers at, thinking Dhizz has lost her mind.-

Dhizz: WEEEEeeee. –Prances about.-

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The night was dark…darker than what she was used to, and the shadows reflected by the dull moon were enough to keep anyone on edge. A shift of a branch looked like a kunai reaching out, a wave of a leaf looked like a possible enemies shadow as they attempted to sneak up. It was the first day of her mission; her destination was Iwagakure, The hidden village of Stone. Her general direction would be Northwest…It was going to be at least a week long journey, Iwagakure was quite a distance away, and if Rin could remember right, she'd never been there. At least those were her thoughts as she stared at the small fire in which she'd created for herself while choosing to camp, rather than stay in a motel. A motel had far too many people for her liking…it was nice to be…alone like this, just the quiet nature and herself. Little did she know, her silent reprieve was about to be shattered. 

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He could still remember the first time he walked this path…His way had been to the chunin exams along with his brother and sister. This time, he walked alone, however. Having had diplomatic associations with Konohagakure, he found that the large village was quite comforting to that of his own. While Sunagakure stood tall…foreboding, Konoha had a sense of familial values to it. It welcomed him with open arms, even if he was a monster. A quality he seemed to share with the other biju.

A small smirk graced his pale lips, and a hand rose to brush through his fire like tresses. Sometimes it was nice to be alone…to be away from the hustle and bustle of the village, to not have to worry about signing papers…at least for a few hours. He reminisced about the chunin exams, and had lost himself in his thoughts...much like someone else nearby.

The light of the small fire attracted his attention, and made him curious…Though curiousity had never been his strong point, Gaara was sure that he could handle anyone that might be on the other side of the fire. His sandal padded feet carried him to the light…which he found highly ironic…How did the saying go? Don't go towards the light. Heh. Stepping into the small clearing…he found it to be empty, save for the fire, a small backpack, and a sleeping bag. How… though not unexpected. Though, why would anyone stick around and wait for someone to come into their camp…especially this close to Konoha, it was probably another shinboi. Possibly a Kunoichi, though Gaara doubted that…even though he knew he shouldn't have. He remembered that pink haired girl from the exams…if anyone had been a testimony of the Kunoichi strength…or at least their temper, it was her. Plus, living with Temari had proven the type of tempers that women could have…Though Gaara was stronger, and perhaps more intimidating, Temari was flat out fucking scary when she got mad.

A face of moderate terror in remembrance of the time he stole Temari's teddy bear came to mind…he had been sure that the female had suddenly possessed a demon much more bloodthirsty than his own… 

The sound of rushing air caught his attention, and the sand flew up in time to protect him from the miniscule attack weapons that had begun to bore their way into the shield of sand. The weapon happened to be very small spots of red, the beads in which Rin carried upon her person at all times…Within them chakra had been placed, and alternatively, stored in case of a time of need, or to be used in a similar manner such as this. The chakra within the beads would vibrate, and eventually cause so much stress on the bead itself, that it would explode. …And the explosion was nothing like that of an exploding tag…no, it was much larger, and much more dangerous. Once the beads would explode, the chakra could be openly manipulated by Rin, who had taught herself to use it as a homing device…A blast of straight chakra to a body? Pretty devastating. The name? Well, Rin had never really thought about it. She always thought that names made it too dramatic, why bother with them? As far as she was concerned, no one needed to know her techniques anyway, why should she have a name? Even as it were, the chakra had nothing to lock onto anyway.

Hawk like optics bore down upon the scene from quite a ways away, mainly because she didn't want to get caught in the blast of her own jutsu…But when the dust cleared…a look of shock found her features, hidden behind the mask.

"What the hell?" Normally the area would be littered with body parts, blood…whatever happened to be left over, but there was nothing. A shell of sand, but the man who had stumbled into her camp was gone. So where had he gone? Shifting upon her branch, Rin dropped to the ground to assess the damage, and where he could have possibly gone. 

A few steps forward, and something tight wrapped around her waist. Providing the forest with a gentle squeak, gloved hands immediately fell for the beads once more, but no sooner had she moved, than her hands had become bound as well…by …sand? A confused look settled over her features, and her struggle against the vile pieces of earth that currently held her captive. 

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Gaara had been surprised…but in a way, not surprised at the sudden attack that had been launched towards him. What surprised him was the insane amount of explosive power behind the small beads. Never had he seen anything like it before, and that in itself was enough to find the one that had attacked, to …appease his curiosity in any case. His surprise was written clearly across his visage when he discovered his attacker…a woman. Of course, just his luck. Though he admitted that watching her fight against his sand was rather amusing…No one had ever broken out of it, and only a few had ever broken his ultimate defense. The fight within the woman was amazing, it seemed as though she would try anything to relinquish herself from the grasp of the grainy substance.

Ever so calmly, Gaara approached Rin with a rather blank stare, revealing none of the thoughts hidden within his mind, shared only by Shukaku. The hiss that erupted from Rin's throat at her recognition of the man was nothing short of vile. 

"You!" Idly, Gaara wondered how she knew him, but then again, many people seemed to know him, even if he didn't know them. It came with being Kazekage, not a part he particularly enjoyed, either. Though he remained silent, assessing the situation and the woman, as if to size her up or figure out who she was…Oddly, this woman seemed familiar, but the vermillion headed man could not figure out why.

She seemed to know, though…because she was going on about something.

"And you ruined the chunin exams, you bastard!" Was all that he heard, and a brow rose in speculation as he stared…and then remembered. This woman had been watching his team in the chunin exams, he remembered seeing her masked visage only once, but could feel her chakra signature several times through the forest. Gaara had always dismissed it, cocky that he could handle anything that came his way…at least that was until he met Rock Lee, and Naruto. Both men had changed his life drastically, and he was thankful for their opening of his eyes.

"Don't just stand there and stare at me you assface!" Another outburst from the female…very true to Konoha's Kunoichi behavior…a slight sweat drop formed on the side of his face. Though this woman did not seem to be afraid, but perhaps she was too angry to be. Well, with the way she was flailing and thrashing about.

Admist one flail, Gaara simply released his sand hold upon Rin, dropping her to the ground in an unceremonious heap.

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Rin untangled herself with the speed and grace of some being not of this world, and immediately she was up, striking towards Gaara with feverish venom in each thrust of her arm, leg, or anything else that might come into reach. To her dismay and frustration, Gaara merely brushed aside each with a tendril of strand.

It continued like this for about an hour, before Rin finally tired and dropped to her knees, staring with hawk hues at Gaara…who returned the favor.

"What are you doing here?" The male shifted, his gourd dropped to the ground to lean against a tree, his arms crossing over his chest.

"I'm Kazekage…Why I'm here is none of your business." Oh shit…shitshitshit…AT least that was what was going through Rin's mind. She'd just attacked a Kage! What was Tsunade going to do to her?! How would this possibly damage relations between Sunagakure and Konohagakure? Rin fidgeted suddenly, and bowed her head in…mock respect to Gaara.

"My apologies, I did not know." With that, she drew to a stand, and moved back towards the area that had once been a camping spot. "Congratulations on your…accomplishment." Her tone was bitter, almost accusatory in a manner as she spoke, and Gaara was left wondering what her problem was, but that did not stop him from following the hostile kunoichi.

Having been alone for most of the trip, he found himself craving the companionship of another person. Temari was always chattering in his ear, so he'd gotten used to the constant buzz of talking, but now it was silent, save for the irate footsteps from the female.

His own footfalls became silent behind hers, as she huffed and stomped, gathering what was left of her belongings that had been upon the ground, muttering curses under her breath. Rin was not very happy…mainly because the man she deemed a monster stood in her way, because he was KazeKage…because she may have just ruined any relations with Sunagakure that Konoha had ever had. Whipping around to face the red head, a glare was offered.

"Go away." Which earned her the response of:

"No." Perhaps Gaara was a bit of a sadist, or perhaps he found her situation amusing…or at the very least, her frustration. Rin threw her hands up in what would appear to most as an act of giving up, but instead a single digit pointed through it's glove like cover to accuse him.

"Don't you have somewhere to be, all important one? Bothering me will get you nowhere fast." A sudden smirk found Gaara's features, and his desire to torment Rin must have grown, because the next words out of his mouth were:

"I want you to escort me to Konohagakure…consider it a mission, I'll ensure that you are paid well." Rin's face become as scarlet as his hair…but not because of embarrassment, and to her liking, it stayed hidden beneath her mask.

"WHAT?!"

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"Ah, Kazekage-sama. It is an honor to have you joining us." The large bosomed blonde stood from behind her desk, offering a respectful bow towards Gaara as his figure grandly swept into the room. His robe fluttered and danced until finally settling when his movement halted, and he returned the bow with a light, yet distant smile.

And of course Rin was there, sulking in the shadows of the office as she glared at Gaara for distracting her, for one, and for making her come all the way back to the village. She shifted, shoving hands into her pockets…Of course that got Tsunade's attention, and the fellow blonde merely rose a brow in question.

"Rin…Aren't you supposed to be on a mission?" Rin shuffled more, throwing her head back before calmly responding.

"I was on a mission. Until this assface decided to show up and demand that I escort him to Konoha." The sudden fury that erupted from Tsunade…was enough to make Rin want to bolt. The blonde's hands hit the desk in front of her, and her eye twitched….The desk crumbled.

"Suzume Rin! That is no way to refer to a Kage of any village, despite your personal feelings!" A gentle mutter, and that seemed to appease the Hokage, who seated herself once more, looking much less formidable without the desk.

Gaara just…blinked. No wonder Naruto always complained about getting hit by that pink haired girl and the Hokage…if that was what they could do. Well, the red head sure was glad he wasn't on the receiving end.

A gentle cough came from Gaara, and he stepped forward to shield Rin from Tsunade's wrath..not that there was much he could do.

"If I may, Hokage-sama…Your kunoichi was simply responding as I would expect any. It was I who invaded her camp, and naturally she attacked not realizing who I was. I would only be so glad to have such shinobi among my village, and Suzume-san should not be harshly reprimanded, she was only doing as was expected of her…it really was my fault. I distracted her from her mission by requesting…" There was a pregnant pause, and Rin squeaked softly in the background. He didn't request…he demanded, the bastard. "That she escort me to Konoha." 

Tsunade eyed the two…well, she eyed what she could see of the two in any case, before simply nodding.

"Very well. Rin, you are free to return to your mission…I'll not expect you back for three months." A simple nod, and the masked female started towards the door…all too happy to be out of that room.

"Actually, Hokage-sama…I was so impressed by Suzume-san's performance and her willingness to attack before questioning, that I would like to request that she be my escort while I am here in Konoha. I would feel safer with her at my back." A small smirk found Gaara's features. 

Gaara knew how much Rin despised him, or better yet, despised the thought of him…it was completely obvious by her actions and words. Perhaps Gaara was a bit of a sadist, but he was going to torment her…probably because she reacted so well.

A cry of combined rage and surprise left Rin as she reached for the door handle, ready to bolt.

"Sorry, Hokage-sama…I refuse!" Though she didn't get very far before she was snatched by the back of the shirt and literally drug back into the office, kicking and flailing. Huffing softly, a glare was offered to the both of them…Both of whom were smirking.

"Though I would prefer you having Anbu—"

"The ANBU couldn't even protect the third…I would not trust them with my own life, much less any Kage's." It was a harsh rebuttal, but understandably so, considering that it was Gaara's group that had invaded the stands…the village of Suna assisting Orochimaru as he took over the village and killed Sandaime. …If anyone knew about their security, it was Gaara.

A simple nod was all that was given by Tsunade. 

"Understandable. Rin, your new mission is to escort the Kazekage through the village as he wishes." A sigh.

"But Hokage-sama…"

"NO! Just do it, Rin." 

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((Author notes.))

Aweh, poor Rin. She's so abused. IT's okay, she's used to it, and no serious harm came to her in the making of this story….

Well, maybe later it will, but for now, no.


	3. And the Lightning Strikes

Chapter 3

"I can't believe this is happening, Tsume." A gentle groan erupted from the bead user as her head fell against her partner's shoulder. …Though Tsume was being anything but sympathetic.

"Aww…C'mon Rin, you're always telling me to quit whining and do what I'm supposed to, even if I don't want to." A smirk found Tsume's features. "So suck it up and deal with it." Sure felt nice to be able to say that to Rin, instead of hearing it for once. A soft snicker erupted from the male, followed by a rather loud squeal from the pinch that had been delivered from Rin.

Squirming, a soft whine came as Tsume rubbed the injured flesh.  
"That wasn't very nice, Rin-chan…"  
"So stop stealing my lines, butthead." The female twitched, relinquishing Tsume from her weight as optics stared out into the village, most of which was visible from their roof. Two years now…at least that's how long it'd been since they'd moved in together. Sometimes it seemed like just yesterday that they were still in the Chunin exams…but it wasn't. Yesterday was long gone, and that was a fact of life that everyone had to realize.

A soft sigh was given.   
"He's only doing it because he knows I don't like him. I could have been in Iwagakure already." A gentle pout found Rin's features, which were unmasked for the time being. Unlike some other un-named ninja who wore theirs all the time, Rin preferred to take it off at home.

A ruffle sent her tresses flying about her visage, and a huff was given to Tsume through the blanket of hair. 

"Well, don't let it bother you, Rin-chan…not much you can do about it now." Tsume's weight was lifted from her figure, and the sudden lack of warmth made Rin shiver, despite the warmth that radiated through the night. Pulling herself up, Rin shifted and crawled back into the window in which she had previously exited to steal away to the starry night. Tsume's lank figure followed after, and placed itself on the couch in which he horded oh so well.

A gentle roll of the eyes was given, and she padded towards her room, down the dark hallway and through the closed door into the comfort of familiarity. A flick of a switch flooded the room with light, revealing the spotless floor and a neatly made bed, in which was rarely used. The dark crimson blankets blended well with the carpet, and curtains that were kept over the single window in her room. It was a bland room, other than that…A plain square room with a slightly jutted out closet, giving it a smaller area than without. Flopping herself upon the bed, a gentle groan emitted from the female who blended in with the blankets upon the bed, only her sun-kissed hair stood against the crimson. Sleep came swiftly, stealing Rin into it's dark abyss.

As dawn approached, the world woke anew…And for the first time, it would seem that many could see through another's eyes. How long would that last? How long could the world live in bustling serenity of the new day? Rin mused about thoughts such as this, her figure perched upon the branch of a large maple tree, breathing in the fresh scent of the dew drop morning. However, her musing was broken by the movement in the motel room in which she had intently been listening in on. It seemed that Gaara did not sleep….mildly discomforting, but whatever. The window next to her opened, and the redhead peered out towards the blonde with an inquisitive look, as if unsure what to make of her presence.

"Look, it seems like I don't have much of a choice but to watch over you…" A gentle mumble was given. "As if I'm a babysitter, but I don't like you, just so we're clear, but I'm not going to let you tarnish my mission history….I have yet to fail, I'd like to keep it that way." Her mask brushed against her lips, muffling the threatening tone behind the words only slightly, but apparently the hint was given when a simple nod was all that she received in honor of her wording. Apparently…Gaara wasn't a morning person.

The thought of that, almost made Rin giggle…almost. If she hadn't been so well versed, she might have, but instead a gentle smirk flitted over her concealed features as her limber figure slid into the room through the window, a gentle lean given to it thereafter. Hawk like optics watched the KazeKage's every movement, as he trudged about the room, attempting to find his things.

Thankfully, however…he had managed to find his clothes…if he'd even taken them off. The thought made Rin grimace, and Gaara seemed to realize what she was thinking, because she gained a quick response.

"Don't worry, I showered and changed my clothes."

Well, at least knowing that calmed Rin some…if he were like Tsume…..

Well, she'd probably kill him. But that's besides the point. It took about another ten minutes before Gaara had cleaned up his mess about the room, and was finally satisfied with the state of array that it had been thrown into.

"So where to, Kazekage-sama?" The last thickened with distaste at having to say the formal title, and a smirk had found Gaara's boyish features at her discontent.

"How about the market…I'm feeling slightly hungry…" Rin could do little more than glare at Gaara's back as she followed his royal pain in the ass out the door and into the streets. Though, the job was relatively easy, Gaara always made sure to stay in her view….Which made her want to thank him, but strangle him at the same time…And he always seemed to want to make sure that everyone knew she was 'taking care of him.' As he so eloquently put it. He stopped at many a shop, but never bought anything…Much to Rin's frustration. After about an hour, she started to believe that God was torturing her, and was questioning to herself, 'Why…why god why? What did I ever do to deserve this?' But her thoughts and whines got her no where…mainly because they were to herself, but they had distracted her….Causing her to completely miss the fact that there was a person in front of her. Poor Kiba was bowled over by the lost in thought Rin, and they both went down in a tangle of limbs. Rin let out a yelp as her back hit the ground, mainly out of surprise as she stared up at Kiba…who looked equally surprised to be atop of Rin. 

'Of all people, I had to run into Kiba!' Her mind shrieked at her, and a heavy blush cascaded across her cheeks, thankfully hidden by the dark cloth covering most of her visage. 

"K-k-kiba! I'm so sorry, I wasn't p-paying at-ttention to where I was going…" Rin squirmed, attempting to pry herself from the entanglement with her long time crush, known only to her…and Tsume.

"Rin…Damn you hit hard." A toothy grin came from the canine familiar boy, and Rin's flush deepened, if at all possible. "S'cool, just eh…" His hand reached up, rubbing the back of his hooded head. "Try not to run into me so hard next time, I bruise easy." Of course that was a lie, but it always helped when someone could make light of the situation…And realizing Rin's desperation to loosen herself from their situation, Kiba drew himself to a stand, brushing off his pants. A hand rose in farewell, and Kiba disappeared into the thick mass of people that had begun to pour from the doors of homes and bars.

"You know…I thought you were supposed to be protecting me, not the other way around." Gaara's hand circled around Rin's upper arm, and he tugged her to her feet, where she stood somewhat numb, at a loss for words for the first time in what seemed like a long time.

When Gaara's words had sunk in, however, Rin gave a rather haughty huff, and twisted, spinning on her heel to face him.

"You know what, I don't care who you are…Keep your fuckin' mouth shut, okay? Good." Embers smoldered within her vision, and had Gaara been less of the person he was, he might have backed down…but when you share your body with a demon, you become desensitized to certain things, and when you have an older female sibling, you definitely become desensitized to certain things, so Gaara found himself probably not as afraid as he should have been.

And that was how most of their day went…at least until the sun had reached high noon, and it was deemed safe to wake Tsunade from her mid-morning nap. It was then that they ventured to the Hokage tower to have their fates decided should Tsunade remain in her slumbered state.

Much to their luck, Shizune had already suffered the fate for waking Tsunade, and so they were spared when the room was invaded.

"Hokage-sama…I came to Konohagakure not for pleasure as I had wished, but for a matter far more desperate." Rin rolled her eyes at Gaara's formality, but he continued. "Sunagakure has fallen into a state of disarray, war has come upon our borders, and we respectfully request the assistance of Konohagakure."

Tsunade was quiet, and Rin was as well, both women absorbing the newfound information. Finally, Tsunade spoke.

"I wonder…why you did not tell us of this yesterday, when you first arrived…But it is no matter. We will offer any resources we can afford."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama…but at the moment our only request is for able bodies to assist our battles."

A simple nod, and then Shizune was called over.

"Please gather Team 8, Team 10, Team 6, and of course Tsume, because we both know how he will feel if Rin goes and he does not." Shizune nodded, and bounded away to accomplish her task.

Saying that the trip had been unpleasant would have been something of a mild understatement….the trip wasn't pleasant at all, in fact, it had been hell. They stopped very little, and only when necessary, but what had bothered Rin the most was Gaara's constant lingering over the tent setups, requiring that only certain people be near others, but what annoyed her the most was that he separated herself and Tsume. …It wasn't very often that Tsume and Rin were separated, and so the distance was discomforting, if a little unnerving. Not having that constant warmth near her made Rin a little touchy, and quite cranky.

By the time they reached the outpost, dark had fallen over the land of sand, and tents were well on their way to being constructed for their bodies to rest in before the next mornings patrols and schedules were handed out.

"Will you shutup?!" A female voice rang through the camp, and a male voice followed after.  
"No, I won't! Stop being such a bitch, Temari! Just because you're older…" The last trailed off, and Gaara visibly rolled his eyes at the siblings he dared relate himself to. After silence filled the camps, two figures stormed their way towards the Kazekage, both clad in black, but one with a mop of dark brown hair atop his head, and makeup smudging his features…the other, puffballs of blonde adorned her head, and rather boyish looks accented her body, a large fan across her back being her only means of defense.

"Gaara! Kankuro's arguing with my choice for tents and who goes where…Last time I checked, you hadn't put him in charge of such a thing." A haughty huff came from the one that was assumed to be Temari, her arms crossing defiantly over her chest. 

"Please, like you really want to do everything, you can't even let me set up the tents…Next thing we know, you'll be after Gaara's job!"

Gaara was tempted to roll his eyes, and walk away…or find a very tall bottle of sake, but instead he lifted his hands, silencing them both.

"Where are the diagrams and lists for the tents?" Temari produced them…from only god knows where in her outfit. Gaara took a pen, also from Temari, and made a few quick scribblings.

"Problem solved, now get back to your stations! Everyone else, look at the list and diagram and figure out where you're to be, and get there…tomorrow's gonna be a long day."

There was a swarm, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji were all in one tent, Kiba Shino, and Hinata were together, but it appeared that Rin and Tsume were once again, separated. As the mob of people dissipated, Rin approached Gaara, her hand reaching out to stop his movement towards his own tent…had he not stopped, she would have closelined him.

"Hold on. I've put up with your childish bullshit all week, but I'm done. Why are you separating my teammate and I? That's bullshit, and I won't stand for it!" Her voice had risen, drawing the attention of a few nearby Sand nin, wondering if the Konoha kunoichi might go ballistic and kill their Kage.

Gaara merely smirked, responding. "I think it will be better that way…It will teach you to work with others, instead of just one person."

"Bullshit." Her teeth ground together, a soft growl emitting…"You put the other teams together. Tsume and I are tenting together, and you know what? You can take your list, and shove it where the sun don't shine." With that, Rin spun on her heel and stormed off towards her tent, which had just been her. The rows of tents had been set up in a four by four formation. Four across and four down…Rin was on the closest corner to Gaara's, which was on the side closest to Suna. Along the way, Tsume had been snatched from his way, and drug to the tent. He didn't protest a lot…if whining isn't counted as protesting, but as they reached the tent, Rin's grip on his collar released, and he huffed, brushing off and straightening his lanky form before pushing his way into the canvas tent.

"So, how'd you manage to convince the Kazekage to allow us to tent together?" Tsume questioned, a slender brow raising as he threw his bag under the bed, not bothering to make the cot before he flopped down onto it.

"I told him that he was being an ass, and that he couldn't keep teammates separated when he kept all of the others intact." A gentle shrug came from her shoulders as she dropped her own bag, kicking it under the cot before laying out the monotone green sheet and pillow, flopping down atop the itchy fabric.   
"Besides, It's no fun when you tent by yourself." Rin gave a gentle snort, mocking in the term "fun." Making sure that those around them could clearly understand.

Tsume snickered.


End file.
